Although we don’t usually talk about politics on this site,
we thought you might be interested to know about the health
care related bills that are on the agenda of this California
Legislative Session, as reported by the latest John & Rusty Report.

For example, state Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) introduced two measures:

SB 4, which would expand Medi-Cal — California’s Medicaid program — and subsidized coverage to undocumented immigrants [you can read the press release here where he shares his position that “Access to health care is a human rights issue…”]; and

SB 10, which would create an Office of New Americans to assist undocumented immigrants (McGreevy, “PolitiCal,” Los Angeles Times, 12/1). Specifically, he says in the press release, that this new office is to be “a hub for fraud prevention and information to help immigrants better integrate into the state.”

Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) introduced a bill (AB 11) that would expand previous legislation to give three days of paid sick leave to home health care workers who provide care to elderly or disabled residents (Los Angeles Times, 12/1). Her press release states that “According to an analysis by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, there are nearly 7 million California workers that cannot even take an hour off of work to care for themselves or a loved one who is sick without the real possibility that they lose pay or even their job. More than 6.5 million of those workers – most of whom work in the private sector – will be covered by California’s new paid sick days law when AB 1522 (also by Assemblywoman Gonzalez) goes into effect July 1, 2015.”;

Several Central Valley lawmakers introduced a bill (AB 54) that would permit businesses to remain open as they work to correct violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since we didn’t find a press release for this one, we’re guessing the legislature doesn’t expect enough opposition to “lobby” for it.

State Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) introduced a bill (SB 27) that would limit the amount of antibiotics used on livestock, which can contribute to antibiotic-resistant diseases among humans. According to his press release, this would be a first of this type of legislation anywhere in the nation; and

Hill also introduced a measure (SB 24) that would extend youth-targeted tobacco laws to electronic cigarettes (“Capitol Alert,” Sacramento Bee, 12/1) and actually more than that which you can read on the same press release, one paragraph above the last reference.

So, any of these get you fired up enough to write to your legislator either For or Against?

Feel free to share with us in the comments section below our blog post or the post on our facebook page.

Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t remind you that we are still in Open Enrollment season, so if you need help with your 2015 health insurance, please call us at 877.789.5831 or complete the confidential form below and one of our expert agents will be in touch with you right away!